Burglar alarm



Patented Feb. 27, 1923.

UNITED lSTATES OSCAR KESSLER, 0F GREENISLANiD, NEW YORK.

BURGLAR ALARM. j,

Application filed December 16, 1920. Serial No. 431,118.

To all. whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, OSCAR KnssLnR, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Green Island, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Burglar ,f\larms, of which theV following is a specification.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

The principal object of 'the invention is to provide a burglar alarm which can be inconspicuously operated by a person standing at a desk or counter, as for example, the counter of a paying teller in a bank.

, Other objects will appear in connection with the following description.

The single figure of the drawing is a view in perspective showing my improved alarm mechanism mounted upon 'the floor and partition wall of a paying tellers booth or cage or the like.

Referring to the drawings wherein the inventionis shown in preferred form, 1 is the Hoor, and 2 is the partition wall ot a paying tellers booth or cage, which booth.y cage or the like is provided with the usual counter, 3, projecting inwardly from the partition wall.

Beneath the counter, I mount upon the floor, 1, a toot-support, 4. in fixed relation to the floor and preferably upwardly and inwardly inclined to its inner end, 5, whereat it terminates abruptly.

Pi'votally mounted upon the inner end of the foot-support, 4, by means of a horizontal hinge, 6, is a circuit-lueaking plate, 7, which projects above the inner end of the -foot-sllpport, 4, in position to be moved by moveulcut of a. foot inwardly along the footsupport.

A (foil-spring, H, tends to yieldngly torce the plate.I 7, toward the foot-support, 4.

A, shelf, 9, extends from the partition, 2, over the circuit-brcaking plate, 7, and footsupport, 4, 'forming a convenient foot-rest for the attendant at the desk or counter.

Upon the underside ot the shelf, 9, is mounted a yielding detent, 10, which may be of any known form adapted to hold the circuit-breaking plate, 7, against the force of the spring, 8, in the foot-induced alarm position of the plate.

I have shown the detent in 'the simple form of a plate of resilient sheet-metal attached at one end by means ot screws, 11, to the underside of the shelf, 9, and having its other end bent to approximately V-t'orm to form a beveled or inclined hook adapted to yield to the foot-induced movement of the plate, 7, and toautomatically spring into locking position as soon as the plate has passed the end of the hook. y

Electric circuit wires, 12, are connected one to the plate, 7, by means of a contact screw, 13, and the other to a contact plate, 14, mounted upon the foot-support, 4, whereby the circuit in which the wires, 12, are included is maintained closed so long as the plate, 7, is released to the control of the spring, 8.

The'operation of the apparatus is as fol- 75 lows:

So long as there is no occasion for alarm, the parts remain in the position shown in the drawing with 'the plate, 7, held by the Spring, 8, adjacent to the inner end of the foot-support, 4, with the contact-screw, 13, in contact with the contact-plate, 14, thus closing the circuit through the wires, 12, which include an electrically actuated signal alarm, not shown, which may be of any known form.

Should there be cause for alarm the attendant at the desk moves or slides his foot inwardly along and over the foot-support, 4, into engagement with the circuit-breaking plate, 7, which readily yields to such movement, thereby separating the contact-screw, 13, from the contact-plate, 14, and breaking the circuit through the wires, 12, thereby causing the alarmv signal to be sounded or otherwise given.

Ordinarily it is desirable in case of alarm to have the alarm signal continuedv indefinitely until vintentionally discontinued; and the operator can readily accomplish displacing the plate, 7 sufficiently to cause it to be interlocked with the hook of the detent, 10.

As the toot-actuated mechanism is con- V cealed beneath the counter and shelf, 9, the 10D desk-attendant can by an inconspiouous and not unnatural movement of the foot, operate the alarm and cause it to continue operation indefinitely while he may move away from the desk in compliance with the orders of burglars or the like.

The shelf, 9, not only tends to conceal and this by 100.

*releasing the plate to the action of the spring, 8. The detent can thus be disengaged by the toot oi? the attendant or operator. For certain purposes of the invention the yfoot support may be formed by any floor or member mounted upon a floor in position to accomplish the objects -above stated. l prefer however to have the foot support upwardly and rearwardly inclined as shown so that in making` the several operating movements or' the foot, the toot is not forced out of natural position or out of natural swingingposition as might be the case ijf it were required to force the foot away from the body along a level floor.

1What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- A lixed upwardly and rearwardly inclined foot support; a yielding circuit breaking plate pivoted adjacent to, below, and projecting,` above, the inner end of the foot-support in position to be moved by movement of a. foot alongsaid support; a shelf overhanging` said plate and foot-support; and an automatic detent beneath said shelf for holdingsaid plate in foot-induced position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day ot December, 1920.

OSCAR KESSLER. 

